Whether you’re evaluating your skills, trying to gauge that of new hires, or trying to train your current team, sales effectiveness is an issue that weighs on the minds of most managers.

A recent Inc.article by Geoffrey James reports that research on emotional intelligence has identified five traits that good salespeople have – or have learned to cultivate.

For examples on how to identify assertiveness, self-awareness, empathy, problem-solving and optimism in a sales environment- and how to develop these personality traits further – read the entire article.

What skills do you look for when hiring salespeople? What traits from your current team have you observed being most effective?